"I apologize for that," Sei said when she got back to the trailer, "but I believe Suzuki and Bando won't be bothering us again for a while…"

Amy yawned.

"Amy," Sei said, "do you think you can stay up a little longer?"

"Yes, Sei."

"In that case, Jo, Leo, please give us your analysis."

Sei, Meg, and Amy sat on the sofa facing the giant screen TV. Jo and Leo stood to one side of it. Jo tabbed a tablet and a map of Tokyo appeared on the screen sprinkled with stars. All but one was gray, except for one red one.

Jo said, "Our quarry remains as elusive as ever, and Sei and I are convinced it has targeted us. I do not want to wait for it to strike, so I have tried to analyze its movements-"

Sei grumbled, "Why don't we ask Eriko? She seems to have all the answers."

Jo looked at her.

"Sorry," Sei said. "Jo. Please continue."

Jo nodded. "Based on-"

Sei mumbled, "Maybe I should have told Eriko about Suzuki and Bando and she could have taken care of them…No, Jo, sorry, please do go on."

Jo took a deep breath. "The gray stars are the Bailan sightings where we investigated without making contact, and the red marks our one engagement. It does not appear to be straying too far from the downtown core. This implies that-"

"At least we now know Eriko is a local girl," Sei said. "I'd been worried it was some bald fat guy named Eric Swartz who still lived in his mom's basement in Wisconsin ten years after she'd died and wondered why he was still having trouble getting a girlfriend at 55. Boy, would that have been a surprise. But no, it's a nice ordinary local girl whose grandmother just happens to own a restaurant that he likes working at more than here. But maybe it's a better fit for him anyway. Obviously, Eriko is making Kyo very happy. And if Kyo's happy, I'm happy," Sei groused.

"Do you want to do this some other time?" Jo asked.

"No, Jo," Sei said. "I apologize. I've been a little stressed…"

"No kidding," Meg grumbled.

Sei cleared her throat. "Let's strike while the iron is hot. Please, Jo, continue."

Jo took an even deeper breath. "At first blush, trying to locate the cybot's base may seem impossible, even with Bailan's assistance on the ground. But based on its size and potential fuel requirements-"

Sei said, "Of course, Kyo still needs me if he wants to get to France. But if Eriko is so settled with ties to the community, maybe he'll want to stay with her and he won't want to get to France anymore…"

(Jo put down the tablet. "That's it," she said, "I'm cleaning my guns." "I'll join you," Leo said.)

"…And now that I think about it, maybe he doesn't even need to go to France to study how to make French pastries," Sei went on. "He's a bright boy - he could looks up the recipes on the internet. He could make them himself without every leaving this country. So that's it for Sei and her three crazy girls. But we'd have the 24 hour place, so we'd be fine. We probably never needed him in the first place. We could have been just fine without him and not have to worry about saving his sorry ass, and once he stops coming around here, we won't even notice. And he can work more hours at the Opera House. He does well enough, he could quit Love and Happy and start full time and make a nice living. And then he could get seed money from Eriko's grandmother and open a little pastry stand right here in Tokyo…"

(Amy bent over her laptop. "Hmm, London is up 215 points. To flash crash or not to flash crash, that is the question.")

"…Pretty soon the stand is doing so well he moves into a pastry shop. And then he opens another location. And another. And before you know it, he has a chain of pastry shops with locations on both sides of the Pacific rim…"

("Hey, Jo, what do you think of the model 706's?" "Haven't had a chance to look, Leo, but read some good reviews. Could you pass the cleaning fluid please?")

"…He'll be the pastry king of Asia and then the world," Sei went on, "and culinary students in France will come to Japan to apprentice under him. And he and Eriko will have a couple of kids and a dog and a nice house in the suburbs - no, a mansion in the exurbs - no, one mansion here, one in Hawaii, and a town house in New York and maybe another one in Paris - no, there would be definitely one in Paris, and a yacht on the French Riviera - and a place in Nice, why not? - and a buddy who loans him a place in Italy…"

("Nah," Amy decided, "I'll leave London alone. Wonder what's new in Area 51?")

"…and if he thinks of us at all it'll be to wonder why he stuck with us at all when Eriko was there to answer all his prayers. He'll be glad to be quit of us, but you know what, we'll have probably forgot all about him by then, so everyone's happy, so who am I to complain? Nope, if that's how he wants to run his life, you won't see me-"

Meg exclaimed, "Oh, for the love of God! Sei, why don't you just come out and admit it?"

"Admit what, Meg?"

"That you're in love with Kyohei, Sei."

"What-Meg-no, you've got it wrong-"

"You are so, Sei, and now that I think about it, you've had your heart on your sleeve from day one. You may not get gushy, but it's been there from the start. Remember, Amy?" Meg affected a dreamy look: "'He's a master chef from a top cooking school. He dreams of going to France. Why don't we help him with his dream?'"

Amy didn't look away from her laptop but she nodded.

"You're exaggerating," Sei said.

"Am I?" Meg asked. "Then why are you so jealous?"

"I am not jealous, Meg."

"You are so, Sei. You think Kyohei's leaving you for another woman, and you can't stand it."

"Are you wearing a wire for Suzuki, Meg?"

"You know me better than that, Sei. We're your friends; we'll understand. So what if he's three years younger than you? That's not a huge age difference, and nobody would hold it against you. Nobody but those idiot cops anyway. But the heart wants what it wants. There's no shame in admitting-"

"THERE'S NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING TO ADMIT TO!" Sei shouted as she sprang to her feet. "Kyohei is a valued employee and a friend, nothing more. As a friend, I have taken an interest in his future, and I am concerned about that - period! I do not know how this became Accuse Sei of Perversion Week, but I am getting tired of it, and I want it to stop NOW. Not. Another. Word. Am I clear, ladies?"

Meg, Jo, and Amy nodded.

"Good," Sei said. "We have more important issues to discuss. But just in case there are any lingering doubts as to my taste in MEN…" She crossed to Leo, grabbed his collar, yanked him to his feet, mashed a kiss onto his mouth, let him go, and Leo flopped back into his chair.

"What just happened?" Leo muttered.

"There," Sei said. "Will that dispel any doubts, Meg? Or do Leo and I have to have sex on the kitchen floor in front of everybody?"

"No, Sei."

"Thank you, Meg. Jo, Leo, please resume your presentation."

Leo said, "Sure, no problem. And I didn't need those tonsils anyway. I'll be fine. Thanks for asking."

Jo said, "You sure, Sei?"

"Yes, Jo."

"All right." Jo picked up her tablet. "As I was saying-"

Sei whispered, "Eriko."

Jo rolled her eyes. This was going to be a long meeting.